Vending-machine for liquids and fluids.



T. PETERS e A.' F'. SONmamvmNN.v VENDING MACHINE 50H LlQU-IDS AND FLUIDS.

APPLICATION FIL'ED JULY l. 19H.

Patented Sept. 24, 1918'.v

3 SHEETS-SHEET l.

T. PETERSL A. F. SONDERMANN.

vENmNs MACHINE Fon uoums AND mums.

APPLICATION FIIFD lULY |91]- 1,279,58 1 ,l Patented Sept. 24,1918.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

T. PETERS & A. F. SODERMANN.

VENDING MACHINE FOR LIQUIDS AND FLUI/DKS. APPLICATION FILED Ju'LY 7, lsu.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

vPatented Sept. 24, 1918.

THEODOBE PETERS AND ALBERT F. SONDERMANN, F FERDINAND, INDIANA, ASSIGNORS T0 THE PET-SON PUMP COMPANY, OFFERDINAND, INDIANA, A

CORPORATION OF INDIANA.

'VENDING-MACHINE, FOR LIQUIDS AND FLUILS.

*To all whom t may concern:- Be it known that we, THEoDoRE PETERS and ALBERT F. SONDERMANN, ci-tizens of the United States, residing in the town of Ferdinand, county of Dubois, and State of Indiana, have invented acertain new and' useful Improvement inA Vending-Machines for Liquids and Fluids, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description,

such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to vending mal chines of the type that are used for dispensrious other liquids and fluids.

Another object is to provide a coin-conf trolled vending machine for liquids and fluids in-`which -the means that governs the quantity of the commodity discharged froml the machine is of novel construction .and so designed that it can be changed or modified .easily Whenever the market price of the commodity being vended changes, thereby making the machine particularly adaptable -for vending a" commodity whose market price fluctuates. Other objects and desirlable lfeatures of my invention will be hereinafter pointed out. y

To this end we have devised a machine for vending liquids and fluids that comprises a meter, a discharge valve that is adapted to be opened so as to cause the commodity being vended to pass throuv h the meterl and operate same and therea ter be discharged from the machine, an actu-ating mechanism for 4said discharge valve that is normally locked so as to holdthe discharge valve closed and a controlling mech` anism governed by the meterffor causing the discharge v-alve'to close automatically after a certain quantity of the commodity being vended has been discharged from the ma chine.V The machine is preferably provided with a coin-controlled -device for locking 4the valve actuating mechanism, and the controllingmechanism governed by the meter Specification of Letters Patent: Patented Spt, 24, 1918, Application med July 7,1917. serial No. 179,180. i

is so constructedthat the discharge valve I will close after the machine has' delivered a quantity of the commodity equal in 1 value to the value of the coin that was introduced into the machine prior tothe opening of the discharge valve. ,In order that the machine may be used for dispensing a commodity whose Imarket pricechanges frequently, we

have provided the controlling mechanism above referred to with a' removable member equipped with spaced elements that govern the closing of the discharge valve, which member is adapted to be replaced bya member provided wi-th differently spaced elements whenever .the market price of thel commodity being/ vended changes.

' Figure 1 lof the drawings is aside`elevational view of -a vending machine conf structed in accordance with our invention.'

`line.7'-7 of Fig. 6; and

Fig. 8 is a side elevational view, illustrating a machine provided with an electrically operated device, in addition to the coin-controlled device, for effecting the release of the valve-actuatingmechanism.

Referring tothe drawings which illustrate the preferred form of our invention, A. designates a liquid or fluid meter of any preferred type, 'B designates a supply Vpipe. that leads to a sup'ply of liquid under pressure, and C designates-a discharge pipe thatA is equipped with a valve D that governs the discharge of the commodity7 from the machine. for dispensing either a liquid or fluid, but

The machine is adapted to be-used for the sake of Ibrevity, we will hereinafterl use the term liquid in referring to the commodity dispensed by the machine. If

the machine is to Ibe used for dispensing gasolene, oil and various other liquids in relatively large quantities` such, for'example, as gallons, the meter A is provided with an in; dicator E of Aany preferred type, so as to en- .ias l a'ble the user to ascertain the guantity of liquid discharged from the machine.

The discharge Valve D is combined with a g valve-actuating mechanism that comprises a bell crank lever 1 pivotally connected at 2 to a stationary arm 3 on the casing 1 of the valve D, an `actuating device F for said lever, preferably a star wheel or rotatable element provided with a plurality of cams 5 that cooperate With a roller 6 on the free end of the lever 1 to move said lever upwardly, so as to open the valve D and a coiled compression spring 7 arranged between the upper side of the lever 1 and the -base portion 8 of the meter A for moving said lever in a direction to close the valve D. Any suitable type of valve D may be used, but we prefer to use a plunger valve whosestem 9 is pivotally connected to the lower end of theshort; arm of the lever 1. rllhe star wheel F is combined with avmeans (hereinafter described) that normally exerts pressure on same in a direction tending to cause said star wheel to turn forwardly, or to the left,l looking at Fig. 1, and a locking pawll() is provided for locking said star Wheel so as to hold the discharge valve in its closed position', said locking pawl 10`coperating either directly with the star Wheel or with a disk 11 arranged at one side of same and secured thereto and provided in its ,periphery with a plurality of, notches'llaq any one of which is capable-of acting as a stop that coperates with the locking pawl 10. A manually-operatable tripping mechanism is provided for tripping the locking pawl 10, so as to release the star 4 wheel F, and a coin-controlled device is' prof vided for v normally locking said tripping mechanism or holding it in an inoperative condition. I y

lln the form of our invention herein lshown the tripping mechanism just-referred to comprises a manually-operable plunger Gr reciprocatingly mounted in stationary guides 12 and provided at its inner end with a spring pressed, pivotally mounted pawl 13 whose tooth normally lies in a notch 14.- formed in the periphery of a tripping disk H, as shown in Fig. 1, said plunger G being acted upon iby a spring 15 that normally holds said plunger in its forward position, as shown in Fig. 1. The trippingdisk' H is rotatably mounted. on a horizontally-dis-` posed rock shaft 16 to which the locking pawl 10 is rigidly connected, and aspring 17 is combined with said disk inisueh a man- Vner that it constantly exerts 'pressure on Same, tending to cause said disk to turn forwardly or in the direction indicated by the arrow m, shown in Fig. 1. vThe tripping disk H is provided with a hufb 18 thathas a cut out portion 19, as shown .in Fig; 7, and 'the rock shaft 16 is provided with a rigid collar 20 thatcarries a pin 21 which extends longitudinally of the shaft 16 and projectsl into the out out portion -19 in the tripping diskn as shown in Fig. 6. Said rock shaft 16 is journaled in a sleeve 22 or tubular-shaped bearing on a' stationary bracket 23, and a spring 24 is combined with'said rock shaft so as to exert pressure on same in a direction tending to hold the locking pawl 10 on said shaft in engagement with the notched disk 11 on the star wheel. `When the plunger (i is moved rearwardly, or toward the right, looking at Fig. l, the pawl 13 on the rear end of same will4 rotate the'tripping disk H rearwardly until said disk reaches such a position that the pawl 13l passes outof engagement with the notch 1t in the periphery of the disk, this rotary movement of the tripping disk storing up energy in the spring 17. As soon as the awl 13 is disengaged from the tripping disk in the manner just described, said disk turns' forwardly` or to the left, looking at Fig. 1, under the.influence of the spring 17, thereby causing the shoulder at one end of the cut out portion 19 in the hub of the disk to strike against the pin 2l on the rigid collar 2O on the rock shaft 16. The sharp blow that said pin2l receives causes'the shaft 1G to turn in opposition to the spring 2-1, and thus lift thel pawl 1() on said shaft out of engagement with the notched disk l1 0n the stai' wheel F. As soon as said star Vwheel is released in this manner it will start to turn forwardly, thereby raising the free end of ,the lever 1 Yand cal'lsing the valve 1) to open, the forward movement of the star' wheel being arrestedH as soon as the valve l) is opened by a means which 1 will hereinafter describe. Any suitable kind of coin-controlled device can be used for locking the tripping4 plunger G, the coin-controlled device used in the machine herein illustratedv consisting of' a lever li pivotally mounted on a staf tional-y support and provided at its opposite ends with a locking tooth 25 and a coin holder 26, said lever 1 being so arranged that the locking tooth 25 engages-a notch 25a in the upper side of the plunger (if, when there is no coinA in the coin holder 26. coin holder 26 consists of an opeirended trough or chute on one end of the lever l iis and provided with 'a depending spring tin- .ger 27; that has a laterally bent portion Whe-r1 said plunger is forced rearwardly an arm 28 that is secured to said plunger and arranged at one side of same str1kes against the laterally bent portion of the spring tinger 2'?v on the coin holder and moves said linger 27 rearwardly sufficiently o release the coin and permit it t0 drop out of the coin holder, thus effecting the discharge of the coin f-rom the coin holder. At the same timev energy is being stored up in the means ates with the. notched disk 11 on the starv wheel, said holding pawl being shown in broken lines in Figs. 1 and 3. The function of-the pawl '29 is to hold the valve' D open, and in the form of my invention herein shown said pawl is rigidly secured to arook shaft 30 that is mounted 'in a sleeve or tubular-shaped bearing 31 on the bracket 23, said shaft 'being combined with a spring 32 that exerts pressure on said shaft in a directiontending to force the holding pawl 29 on same in engagement with the periphery of the notched disk 11 on the star wheel. The rock shaft 3 0 is pro- J vided at its outer end with an arm 33 which coperates with a controlling mechanism governed by themeter A and constructed in such a manner that, it causes the pawl 29 to be disengaged from the notched'disk 11 on the star wheel after a quantity of liquid equal in value to the value ofthe coin d eposited in the machine has passed the discharge valve D,` thereby causing the star wheelor Valve actuating device F to turn forwardly suiiiciently to permit the spring 7 to force the lever 1 downwardly and close -the valve D. The controlling mechanism the hub of a gear 35 that meshes with'a4 pinion 36 on the operating shaft 37 of thel meter A, as shown in Fig. 1, said member J being provided at its periphery with a pluralityl of spaced elements, preferably radially-disposed pins 38 thatcoperate with an upwardly-projecting arm 39 on a horizontally-disposed rock shaft 4 0 which isprovided at its opposite end with the-hammer 34 that strikes against the arm 33 when the l The sha-ft shaft 40 rocks 'in one direction.

' 40 is mounted in av stationary bearing 42,

and a spring 43 is combined with said shaft 65 for turning -i't in one direction. When the liquid starts to How through the meter A, the member J starts to turn, and when one ofthe pins 38 onthe periphery of the member J engages the upwardly-projecting arm 39 on the rock shaft 40, it causes said shaft to rockj andstore up energy in the spring 43. After the member J has moved a certain distance, the pin 38 thereon that engages the arm 39 -will pass out of engage- 75 ment with said arm, thus releasing the shaft 40 and causing the spring 43 to throw the hammer 34 forwardly into engagement with the arm 33 on the holding pawl shaft 30, resulting, of course, in the release of the star wheel F. In view of the fact that the nremb'er J controls the closing of the `discharge valve, it is possible to accurately govern the quantity of liquid discharged .from the machine by arranging the pins 38 85 in Various positions on the member J. When the pins 38 are arranged comparatively close together, as herein shown, the valve D Will remain open for only `a short period, and thus discharge a comparatively small quantity of liquid, but by arranging the pins 38. farther apart, the member J will travel a greater distance before the holding pawl 29 is tripped, thus causing the valve D to remain open for a longer period, and

consequently, causing the machine to discharge a greaterv quantity of liquid. In order that the machineymay be used advantageously for dispensing gasolene and other@ 'liquids whose selling price changes fre- 100 quently, we have constructed the member J in such a manner' thatit can be removed easily from the gear 35 and replaced by a controlling memberJ provided with pins 38that are arranged differently, or, inother words, spaced farther apart or closer together. This can effected in Various'. ways, but one simpl Way of constructing the member J is to provi'de it with a non-circularshaped opening lthat fits over a non-circular-shaped 1,10 portion 35a on the hub of the gear 35, as

shown in Fig.2.

As previously statedythe star wheel or valve-actuating deviceF is combined with a meansthat exerts'pressure on same in a 1 15 direction tending to `rotate it forwardly wheneverasaidstar wheel is released from the locking pawl l0 and the holding pawl 29. In the machine herein shown a weightA 44 is used for eifeictingthe forward move- 120 ment of the star wheel F, said weight being connected to a cable or otherfiexible memberk 45 that is securedto and wound onto a drum 46 which is operatively connected to the star wheel F by meaf'ns of a pivotally 1'25 mounted pawl 47 on` said starswheel that engages --a ratchet wh'e'l'48 on the drum,

.as shown in Fig. 5. lEiaid star wheeland drum are rotatably mounted en a 'horizontally-disposed shaft 4) which is rigidly secured tothe bl'acket 23, as shown in Fig.

vthe machine, as previously described, or yby actuating a device that causes the plunger (into bev released from the lockiner lever l. 1n Fig. 8 of the drawings we have lustrated a machine'constructed in this manner, said machine being vprovided with an electro.- magnet 51 arranged in such a manner that. when it is energized it will cause the tooth 25 on the lever l to be vmoved upwardly out of engagement with the plunger (if, said electro-magnet being arranged in an electric circuit 52 that is equipped with a controlling switch 53 of any suitable type that can be actuated so as to energize the electro-magnet, and thus render the locking lever ll inoperative. the various other parts of the machine :ne arranged in a housing 54, indicated by broken lines in Figs. 1, 3 and 4, so as to preventn anyone from tampering .with the mechanism of the machine or operating the discharge valve without introducing a coin into the machine. Said housing is provided with a coin chute 55 arrangedin such a manner that the lower end of same will be positioned above the coin holder 26.

To operate the machine it is only necessary to deposit a coin of the proper denomination in the coin chute 55 down which the coin travels into the coin holder 26, the weight of said coin moving the lever I in a direction to release thel plunger G. The

user then moves the plunger Gr rearwardly so as to store up energy in the tripping disk H, and aszsoon as the `pawl 13 on the inner end of said plunger passes out of engagement with the disk H, said disk will rotate forwardly and impart a sharp blow to the pin 21 on the rock'shaft 16 that carries the locking pawl 10, thereby disengaging said locking pawl from the notched disk 11 on the star wheel F and causing said star wheel to rotate forwardly under the influence of the weight 44. rll`he forward movement of said star wheel causes one of the cams 5 thereon to engage the free` end of f the lever l and move it upwardly orin a direction to move the valve D into its open position. rllhe star wheel F rotates forwardly just far enough toeEect the opening of the dis- The metelgthe discharge valve and' charge valve D and the forward movement of said star wheel is then arrested by the holding pawl 29. As soon as the valve D opens, the operating shaft 37 of the meter A will start to rotate, and thus impart ro'- tary movement to the controlling Imember J. When one of thepins 38 on the periphery of the controlling member J strikes against the arm 39 on the rock shaft 40, said shaft will be rocked in a direction to place the spring 43 under tension, and when said member Jpreaches a certain position, the arm 39 will be released, thereby causing the spring 43 to impart a quick blow to the hammer 34 which'strikes against the arm 33. The arm 33 is connected to the shaft 30 that carries the holding pawl 29; consequently, the blow that said arm receives from the hammer 34 causes the holding pawl 29 to e disengaged from the notched disk 11 on the star wheel, said star Wheel starting to rotate forwardly as soon as the holding pawl 29 is tripped, and thus permitting the spring 7 to move the lever 1 in the opposite direction, so as to close the discharge valve D. As the time that the discharge valvev remains open is dependent upon the position of the radially-projecting pins 38 on the controlling member' J, and as said melnber J is connected to .the meter A in such a manner that it` travels at proportionately the same speed as the operating shaft 37 of the meter, it will be seen that by properly positioning the pins 38 on the member J, the quantity of liquid discharged from the machine can be accurately governed. Moreover, as the member J is so constructed that it can be easily removed from the gear 35 that actuatesl` same, as herein shown, it is a lvery simple matter to modify the machine when the vmarket price of the commodity being vended changes, by simply substituting a different controlling member .l provided with pins 38 that are spaced differently` charge valve D to close when a quantity of the liquid, equal in value at the prevailing market price to the value of the coin deposited has been discharged from the machine. Likewise, if the market price of the commodity decreases, a controlling member J provided with pins 38 spaced farther apart can be slipped over the hub of the gear 35, thus causing the valve D to remain open for a longer period, and consequently delivering a larger quantity of liquid.

A machine of the construction above described is particularly adapted to be used for vending Uasolene and oil at points where it is not profitable to employ an attendant to iso control the machine, as the machine is of such simple design and rugged construction that it is'not liable to get out of order, and it is so desi ned that it delivers a quantity of liquid equa in value to the value of the coin that is deposited in the machine, and as previously stated, it is so constructed thatl 1t can be modified easily Whenthe market price of the liquid varies, by simply substitutin a different controlling-member J. The in icator E that is combined with the meter A of the machine enables the user to ascertain the quantity of liquid that he receives in return for the coin which he deposits in the machine, and said indicator also enables the owner of the machine to ascertain just hovv much liquid has been discharged by the machine for a certain period, thus reducing the liability of theft by a dishonest employee employed for the purpose of ,collecting the money that has been deposited in the machine by users. While the machine `is particularly-adapted for'usein places Where it is not profitable to keep an employee at the machine'constantly, it can also be used advantageously at arages' and fillinoa stations, and 'when used or this purpose, it is preferably provided `vvith an electro-magnet or other device, as shown in lFig. 8, for enabling the plunger G to be actuated Without introducin a coin into the machine. Furthermore, Whi e the particular machine herein illustrated is designed to be used for vending gasolene and oil, our invention is not limited to a machine designed for this particular purpose, but, on the contrary, is applicable to practically any kind of vending machine in which the discharge of the commodity being vended is governedl by a valve. It'is immaterial Whether or not the meter or measuring mechanism of the vmachine is provided with an indicator.

Having thus described our invention, what We claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. Ina vendingmachine of the character\ locking devices, a controlling mechanisml operated bythe meter for tripping the other locking deviceand means which causes said actuating deviceto operate Whenever either of said locking devices is tripped or rendered inoperative.

2. In at vending machine of'the character described, a valve for governi-ng the discharge of the commodity being vended, a

meter or measuring device for the commodity arranged so that it vvilll start to operate when said valve is opened, a valve actuating mechanism comprising an actuating device that governs the opening and closing of said valve, two locking devices combined with 4 said actuating device, a. manually-operable means for tripping one of said locking devices, a controlling mechanism operated by the meter for tripping the lother locking device, means Which causes said actuating device tooperate Whenever either of said locking devices is tripped or rendered inoperative, and a coin-controlled device that nor- 1 mally locks said manually-operable means.

3. In a vending machine of the character described, a discharge valve, a meter for measuring the commodity being vended, an

actuating -mechanism for said valve com' prising an actuating device, a locking device that normally holds said actuating device at rest, a manually-operable means for tripping the locking device so as to cause the l l valve to open, aholding device -that coperates With said actuating device to maintain the valve in its open position, and a controlling mechanism` governed by the meter for tripping said holding device after a certain quantity of the commodity being vended has passed the discharge valve.

47. A vending machinel of the character described, comprising a valve for governing the discharge of the commodity being vended, a meter for measuring the commodity, an actuating mechanism for said valve comprising a rotatable actuating device provided vvith a plurality of cams, each of Which is capable of governing the opening and closing of said valve, means for rotating said device, a locking element that normally holds said actuating device inoperative, a manually-operable means for tripping. said lock-ing element, thereby causing one of the cams on said actuating device to become' operative for ei'ecting the opening of the valve, a holding element for arresting the movement of said actuating device so as to cause said cam to maintai the valve in its open position, and a conti? ling mechanism governed by the meter or tripping said holding element.

5. A "vending mechine of the character described, comprising a valve for govern- .ing the discharge of the commoditybeing vended, a meter for ,measuring the commodity, an actuating mechanism 'for said valve comprising a rotatable actuating device provided with a plurality of cams, each of which is capable of governing the opening and closing of. said valve, means for rotating said device, a locking element that normally holds said actuating .device inoperative, a

manually-operable means for .tripping said locking element, thereby causing one of the i gains on said actuating device to become op erative for eecting the opening of the valve, a holding element for arresting the movement of said actuating device so as to cause said cam to maintain the valve in its open position, a controlling mechanism governed by the meter for tripping said holding element. and a coin-controlled device for locking said manually-operable means.

6. In a vending machine, a governing elementl that controls the discharge of the commodity being vended, a meter or measuring device for said commodity, a rotatable actuating device for said controlling element provided with a plurality of cams, each of which is capable of governing the. opening and closing of said element, means that normally exerts pressure on said actuating device in a direction tending to cause it to rotate, a locking device and holding device combined with said actuating device and arranged in such a manner that said actuating device will start to turn and thus effect the opening of said controllingelement When said locking device is tripped, a manuallyoperable means for tripping said locking device, and means governed by the meter for tripping said holdingA device.

7. In a vending machine of the character described, a valve for governing the discharge of the commodity being vended, a

v rotatable actuating device for said valve', a

notched element combined with said device, a locking pawl and a holdingpawl that cooperate with said notched element to hold said valve in its closed position and also in its open position, means for tripping said locking pawl so as to cause said valve to open, and means for tripping said holding pawl so as to cause the valve to close after a certain quantity of the commodity has passed said valve.

8. ln a vending machine of /the character described, a valve for governing the discharge of the commodity being vended, a lever combined with said valve, a star Wheel for moving said lever in one direction, a spring for holding said lever in engagement with said star wheel, a locking device and a .holding device that coperate with notches carried by said star Wheel, spring-pressed members for tripping said locking device and holding device, a meter for measuring the commodity being vended, a manually-operable means for actuating one of said tripping members, and means operated by the meter for actuating the other tripping member.

9. ln a vending machine of the character described, a valve for governing the discharge ofthe commodity being vended, a rotatable actuating device, means arranged between said device and valve for moving the valve, a drum combined with said actuating device, a weight connected to a flexible member that is Wound onto said drum, a

nemesi locking device and a holding device combined with said actuat-irg device, a manually-operable means for-tripping said locking device, and meansfor tripping saidholding device after a certain quantity of the commodity being vended has passed the discharge valve.

10. lln a vending machine, of the character described, a valve for governing the discharge of the commodity being vended, a rotatable actuating device, means arranged between said device and valve for movmg the valve, a drum combined with said actuating device, a Weight connected to a flexible member that is wound onto said drum, a locking device and a holdingdevice combined with said actuating device, a manually-operable means for tripping said locking device, means `t'or tripping said holding device after a certain quantity of the commodity being vended has passed the discharge valve, and means for enabling said drum to beV turned in a direction to wind said flexible member onto same.

11. In a vending machine of the character described, a valve for governing the discharge ofthe commodity being vended, an actuating mechanism for said valve comprising a rotatable actuating device, a locking paWl thatcoperates With said device, a tripping means for said locking device cornprising a disk and a spring that exerts pressure on said disk in one direction, and a manually-operable pldnger provided with a pivotally mounted, spring-pressed p'aWl that 100 coperates with a notch`in the periphery df said disk to store up energy in the spring combined with the disk.

l2. lin a vending machine of the character described, a valve for governing the dis# charge of the commodity being vended, an actuating mechanism for said Valve comprising a. rotatable actuatingdevice, a locking pawl that coperates with said device,

.a tripping means for said locking paWl comprising a disk and' a spring that. exerts pressure on said disk in one direction, ay manually-operable plunger provided with a pivotally-mounted, spring-pressedv pavvl that coperates with a notch in the periphcry of said disk to store up energy in the spring. combined with the disk, and a coin-controlled device that normally locks said plunger.

18. A vending machine for the purpose described, comprising a valve that governs the discharge of the commodity being vended, a lever for operating said valve, a rotatable actuating device provided with cams that are arranged to coperate with one end of said lever to move the lever in one direction, anotched element on said device, a spring-pressed lockingpaWl and a springpressed holding pawl arranged in engage-l ment with said notched element, a tripping 13a f .14. A vending machine for the purpose described, comprising a valve that governs the discharge of the commodity being vended, a lever for operating said valve, a rotatable actuating device provided with cams that are arranged to coperate with one end of said lever to move the lever in ,one direction, a notched element on said de# vice, a spring-pressed locking paWl and a spring-pressed holding paWl arranged in engagement With said ln otched element, a

. tripping disk for rendering, said locking device inoperative,' a spring that exerts pressure on said disk in one direction, a manually-operable plungercombined with ysaid disk for storing up energyv -in 4said spring and thereafter releasing the spring so that said disk will actuate said locking device, a meter,l a controllingl mechanism operated by said meter -for tripping said holding pawl, a locking -means' that -normally holds said plunger inoperative,

operative.

15. A vending machine of the character described, comprising a valve for governing 'and means for rendering said locking izneans'in-v the discharge yof the. commodity ybeing vended,a meter arranged so'that it will start to operate When sald valve isopened, an in#- dicator combined With said meter, an actuating mechanism for said valve comprising 4a 'rotatable actuatingvdevice, a Weight that' exerts pressure onsaid actuating device in one direction, a locking paWl and a holding .paWl combined With said actuating device, a manually-operable lmeans for tripping said locking paWl, a' rotatable disk driven by said meter and provided at its periphery with lradially-projecting pins, and means that is adapted to be operated by one of said pins. for tripping said holding pavvl so as to permit the valve actuating device to close said valve. I

THEoDoRE PETERS. i ALBERT F. .SONDERMANN 

